Herbicides and cover crops for improved corn establishment

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One challenge with cover crops is to maximise their growth without reducing the yield of the main crops. For example, delaying termination of a rye cover crop and planting green maximizes biomass production but may affect corn establishment. Variable, often poor corn establishment has been attributed to causes such as rye allelopathy, nitrogen capture or increased root diseases. Another factor that has not been considered is the possibility that corn plants emerging in the presence of a green rye cover crop may be impacted because of altered light being reflected by the green tissues.Another approach to cover crops that warrants examinations is the variable establishment of various species when interseeded into corn which may be due to the use of residual herbicides in PRE- or early POST-emergence. Knowing which corn herbicides have enough residual to impact cover crops and determining species sensitivity to specific products would allow for optimisation of interseeding. This project, developed in collaboration with Grain Farmers of Ontario and the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food, and Rural Affairs, will provide agricultural producers across Canada with improved tools and knowledge related to cover crop that will allow to optimize practices which will result in improved economical and environmental benefits. In addition the knowledge developed by this collaborative project will help inform policy as it relates to cover crops.